Portable gymnastic apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet '2.

. E. P. SHAW PORTABLE GYMNASTIG APPARATUS.

N0. 425,636. PatentedAnr. 15,1890.

' support from any source what-ever.

ff, which may be easily withdrawn when it UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN F. SHAW, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PORTABLE GYM NASTIC APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,636, dated April 15, 1890.

Application filed November 9, 1889. Serial No. 329,788. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN F. SHAW, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Gymnastic Apparatus, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The object of my invention is to so construct and arrange acomplete set of gymnastic apparatus that the whole may be portable, self-sustaining, and adapted to be set up in any place without any connection with or This 'object I attain by the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a View in elevation, showing the form of my apparatus with some of the gymnastic appliances attached. Fig. 2 is a view in perspective, showing the principal part of the frame or standard with a number of the gymnastic appliances attached. Fig. 3 is a section in detail, showing the method of attaching the adjustable pendulum strikingball. Figs. 4 and 5 show the construction of the Variable weights.

The frame of my apparatus consists of a heavy base-piece A A. The part A may be made detachable from the part A for convenience in packing and moving. A standard A Figs. 1 and 2, is inserted into the part A, as shown, and has a union-coupling A at its top. The part of the frame marked II, Fig. l, is connected by the said union-coupling A to the part A H is an an gle-j oint that connects the crossbar H to the upright H, and H is an anglejoint that serves to connect the cross-bar H to the upright H said upright H being connected to the extension part A by a coupling H H Fig. 1, is a multiple joint havinga number of bracing-legs H attached to it.

The above-described frame is jointed together, as described, so that for packing and transportation it can be taken apart and packed in a comparatively small space.

Referring to Fig.2, F F represents slidet-racks firmly attached to'the base A by pins is desired to detach the slide-tracks. Upon the slide-tracks F F, I have a sliding seat F and to the base A foot-rests]? F. B is a strong ring having radial arms or spokes B B B and a hub B, by which it is attached to the standard A Upon the ring B, I have swiveling traveler-blocks D and 0, each of which is provided with a sheave D O, for receiving the ropes D and 0 respectively.

For chest exercise, using both arms on the same lift, I have the handles C C and the cross-bar O, the bar 0 being attached to the rope C to the other end of which I attach avariable weight 0 the construction of which is Shown in Figs. 4: and 5 and will be explained farther on. D is a handle attached to the rope D the rope D having a variable weight D attached to it. This last device is also adapted for chest exercise, and may be used alone or in connection with the other chest-exercising device.

For arm exercise I have the following-described device: R is a cross-arm affixed in the standard A Upon this arm R clamps R R are attached, each holding a sheave P. Around each sheave a rope P passes, the end of the rope I? being provided with handles P This part of the apparatus is to be used by two persons pulling alternately with each hand.

For wrist exercise I attach to the end of the arm R a sleeve WV, to which is attached by a pin WV a rope W which has at its end a variable weight The height of the arm R can be varied by placing it, as desired, in any one of the holes R (See Fig. 2.

Now, referring to Fig. 1, I will explain other parts of my apparatus. K K are flying rings attached by ropes K K and collars K K to the cross-bar H L is an adjustable pendulum striking-ball. The ball L is made of some suitable material and is attached to a rod L. This rod L passes through the striking-ball L, and is held in place by nuts indicated by dotted lines. The rod L slides into a hollow rod or tube L and is held at the desired height by means of a thumb-screw L The rod L is, jointed at I. to the adjustable ring L (See also Fig. 3.) This ring L is held to the crossbar H by a set-screw L and has an arm L Fig. 3, to which is affixed a stopping-pad L This stopping-pad or check-pad is itseif adjustable by its screw-stem and serves to limit the swinging motion of the striking-ball L.

The variable weights referred to are all made like the one shown in Figs. 4 and 5 that is, each is made hollow, like a pail, the stem at being attached to the bottom, as shown in Fig. 4. The auxiliary weights are made as shown in Fig. 5, and are adapted to be placed within the hollow weight D as shown in Fig. 4.

For lift exercise I can remove the handle D, Fig. 2, from the rope D and, passing the said rope through one of the sheaves T T, replace the handle, and then it is ready for the lift exercise. It is obvious that the rope C C may also be passed throughone of the sheaves T, and thus have a double lift, or used with'the sliding seat.

For'tra-peze exercise I have the bar V suspended by ropes V V and rings V V to the cross-bar H Fig. 1.

The sliding rod M, Fig. 1, isfor the pun-- pose of measuring the heights of persons, and has a graduated stem M, which slides in brackets M M M is a thumb-nut, which servesto hold the rod M M inplace. i The height-measuring device is an imp'or tant adjunct to my apparatus, as the adj List:- lnent of many of the other parts depends upon the height of the-person using them.

Havingthus fully shown and described my device, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 1s

1. In a portable gymnastic apparatus, the combination of the base A A, standard A and ring B with the traveling block 0, having a sheave G, the rope C variable weight 0 and handle device 0 0 arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a portable gymnastic apparatus, the combination of the base A A, standard A and cross-arm R with the clamps R R, each provided with sheaves, ropes or cords passing Witnesses:

FRANK G. PARKER, MATTHEW M. BLUNT. 

